The present invention relates to attachment devices of the type that employ suction pads or like pliable members to secure objects upon a smooth surface, and more particularly to an improved suction-type attachment device including a spring-loaded suction pad and associated actuator means having articulated members pivotally coupled so that surface attachment is maintained despite deflection of an object mounted thereon.
Suction devices employing cup or pad-like members have been commonly used to mount and secure objects to smooth, non-porous surfaces such as glass, metal, plastic and tile. The typical suction device used in this capacity includes a pliable member made of a resilient rubber or plastic material that is generally arcuate or circular in form with some degree of concavity to its shape. Normally a stem is integrally formed on the pliable member and used to apply pressure upon the pliable member against the mounting surface and as the place of attachment for the object to be supported by the suction device. In terms of operation, when the pliable member is pressed against a smooth, non-porous surface, the concavity of the member is reduced, forcing air to be expelled so that the member forms an air-tight seal against the smooth surface. Pressure of the atmosphere around the suction device generally retains the pliable member against the surface until it is deflected and sufficiently disturbed. When that occurs, the air-tight seal is broken, releasing the suction attachment to the surface and allowing removal of the device. While such suction devices have been effective in mounting a variety of objects to walls and other vertical surfaces, they are often difficult to position properly and then reposition because the suction forces that develop between the pliable member and the mounting surface tend to resist corrective movements of the device. Also, once they are positioned properly and secured to a wall or other surface, these suction devices have been found to separate from their attachment under the force of weight of relatively heavy objects as well as by deflection forces that can move the object just enough in any direction to cause a shearing effect that releases the air-tight seal.
In the field of retail marketing promotions, a variety of displays and other merchandising units, such as coupon dispensers, are mounted in store aisles on shelves and display cases to draw the attention of consumer shoppers. Many of these merchandising units are bulky and relatively heavy and most are mounted in such a way as to project into aisle and the path of the shopper and thus be prone to impact and deflection. In light of this manner of mounting these merchandising units into the store aisles, flexible mounting devices have been devised and developed that attach securely to store shelves, typically using a combination of brackets and clips, and further allow deflection of the mounted merchandising units without injuring the consumer or damaging the units themselves. While these flexible mounting devices have been effective in their attachment to the store shelves, they have not been articulated so as to provide firm but deflectable attachment to the smooth, non-porous surfaces, such as glass doors and metal panels, found in retail stores at point-of-purchase locations. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved type of suction-type attachment device for securing objects to non-porous surfaces, particularly those objects that are subject to deflection, such as those retail merchandising units mounted at point-of-purchase locations.